Bed Wetting
As I promised I would last month, I’m going to begin discussing the chiropractic management of specific health issues, although I may on occasion go back to some of the “general” ideas already presented (I don’t want you to forget this stuff!).
This month I’d like to discuss a topic which causes a lot of grief for many kids and their parents. I’m talking about the issue of nocturnal enuresis, AKA bed wetting.
All children, of course, wet the bed for the first few years of life, but by the age of 4 or 5, most kids should be able to establish proper bladder control. However, it is estimated that 20% of kids continue to wet the bed regularly after this age. Not OK! In most cases, bed-wetting is considered as an unfortunate childhood problem, and no treatment is sought. Many frustrated parents resign themselves to waiting until their child eventually grows out of the problem (hopefully, sooner rather than later!). In the meantime, we have a very uncomfortable, embarrassed and ashamed child.
Be wary of ads suggesting that it is okay for children to wet the bed because there are now school age diapers available. While the diaper may allow your child to participate in sleep-overs and similar activities, it is a band-aid solution. Diapers do not address the underlying cause of the problem.
Emptying the bladder is controlled by internal muscles (called the ditrusor and trigone muscles). Of course, as we’ve stated in previous articles, it is the nervous system which controls all the functions of your body, including these muscles! And so, if there is interference or “static” affecting the nerve signal to the bladder, malfunction and lack of bladder control can be the unfortunate result.
The nerves which control bladder control come primarily from the sacrum (tailbone). The sacrum develops as five separate segments, and remains that way until the onset of puberty, where the process of fusion begins and continues until the mid-twenties. But during early childhood, misalignment of one of the segments can occur from repeated trauma from falls, learning to walk, bouncing in car seats, etc. This in turn will cause irritation to the delicate nerves which exit from the tailbone, hence, resulting in a malfunctioning bladder.
The chiropractor’s job in these cases is to locate exactly where this nerve interference is occurring, then to correct the underlying cause of the problem. The results can be quite amazing! So, if your child is experiencing difficulty with bladder control, please call us. We can help!
One more thing: I’d like to thank my fellow SNAP contributor, Dr. Steven Levinson, for his vote of confidence for chiropractic in last month’s issue. And yes Dr. Levinson, my muscles are probably bigger than yours!
Dr. Paul is the owner of Weber Chiropractic Clinic and Wellness Centre in Port Hope. He can be reached at 905-885-9306. Please check out our website.
